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An idea to shoot
baskets for tuition took the right bounce for Steve Meeker, director
of institutional advancement at Black Hills State, as two students
cashed in on the Ballroom Blitz Tuition Shootout last January that
ultimately brought recognition for the school and for the
advancement director.

Meeker’s idea
and the students’ hot shooting garnered him recognition from the
National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA)
as marketing administrator of the year in the NAIA/other four-year
divisions. The Yellow Jacket fundraiser recently returned from the
NACMA national convention in Salt Lake City where he received the
award.

The BH
advancement director said, “Receiving the award itself means as
much to me as any award or accomplishment I’ve received. It was a
humbling experience.”

Meeker, 39, who
is always on the lookout for a plan or promotion that will benefit
the university picked up an idea used by other colleges where
students shoot baskets during half time of the men’s basketball
game. The prize was in-state tuition for a semester if a student
could make a lay-up, a free throw, a three-point shot and a
half-court shot in 25 seconds. What was unusual about the outcome of
the contest was that the one-in-a-hundred odds of successfully
completing the task happened on back-to-back nights.

The event not
only got the students and fans excited but it took on a life of its
own as the national media got into the game and bounced the story
across the country to sports news networks, national newspapers and
a regional bank magazine. They all contacted the university for film
footage, photos and interviews with the hot-shooting students.

It was not just
the tuition shootout that garnered Meeker recognition by the NACMA,
it was his overall effort over the past 12 years promoting the
university. He is always searching and investigating what other
schools are doing to develop and expand their financial support
beyond of the traditional tax base. He has successfully developed an
annual-giving program, expanded the scholarship base for athletes
and the general student population as well as gaining support form
the business community through sponsorships. It was a

sponsorship by
Rushmore State Bank in Spearfish that backed the tuition shootout
that ultimately led to the national publicity.

In 1990 when
Meeker became advancement director, the school’s athletic
scholarship foundation was operating at a paltry $50,000 annually.
Today, the Yellow Jacket Foundation operates on a budget of more
than $200,000 and is growing yearly. He has raised more than $1.2
million in a city of 10,000 residents and college athletics
scholarships have increased 83 percent since 1998.

Dave Little, BHSU
athletic director, said of Meeker, “He has brought in a very
progressive and open mind to funding for athletics and foundations.
Some of his biggest successes have been because he has gone into the
corporate marketing world with the idea of donations as an
investment as opposed to philanthropy.”

Meeker says many
of the things done at BHSU in support of athletics are done at major
universities but are not often found at smaller schools. He has
applied what works for them on a smaller scale at BHSU including
business sponsorships, giving plans, tailgate parties, sign
displays, athletic reunions, and a scholarship award from a national
fast-food franchise.

He also credited
the athletic director for helping to bring about the additional
financial support for BHSU athletics.

“Little has
helped make these concepts successful,” said Meeker.

Having just
returned from the convention in Salt Lake City, Meeker is already
making new plans for future funding-raising efforts, that of course
will follow this month’s all-school reunion and fundraising golf
tournament and sports memorabilia auction that he directs.

If the ball
continues to bounce right, while Meeker juggles a full schedule of
school related events, BHSU athletics may once again quadruple its
funding goals by the year 2011.

Meeker graduated from
BHSU in 1984 with a degree in mass communications. He grew up in
Britton and has been employed at the university since 1987.

BHSU student selected for summer
internship with General Electric in the Netherlands
- Top

Guy Longbrake, a Black Hills State University
senior, is one of seven students selected from across the United
States for a summer internship with General Electric in the
Netherlands.Longbrake is a chemistry major at BHSU, with minors in
biology and business.

Longbrake leaves for Bergen op Zoom, Netherlands, in early June,
and will spend 10 weeks taking part in work assignments with the
plastics division under the guidance of company mentors.GE will provide a stipend, housing, and local transportation,
and will sponsor extra-curricular activities for the interns.The company’s goal in recruiting outstanding college
students for internship opportunities is to encourage them to
consider long-term employment with GE.

His advisor, Dr. Charles Lamb, associate
biology professor, says "This experience is a great opportunity
for Guy to apply his academic science training to a workplace
setting.He will get a
unique chance to see how the things he has been learning at BHSU
apply to the'real'
world of industrial scientific research.It also speaks very highly of the accomplishments Guy has
achieved during his academic career and of the quality of the
science program at BHSU.We
are proud for him and are excited about similar opportunities in the
future for our science students."

For the interns, it is a once-in-a-lifetime
learning opportunity. In addition tothe working experience, Longbrake will learn to deal with
passports, flight arrangements and communication across time zones,
along with differences in things such as language, money, and
measurements.He plans
to take a laptop with him to keep in touch with his family and
friends in the states.He
thinks the opportunity will be exciting and very enlightening.

“It will be interesting to live among
different cultures, and I am looking forward to the experience and
knowledge I will gain from working with GE,” Longbrake said.

He is receiving some assistance for his travel
expenses through the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, his family, and a
co-worker at the forest service.Other contributions are being sought by the Student Support
Services program at Black Hills State University.The internship is sponsored by General Electric Plastics
Europe and the Council of Opportunity in Education.

Longbrake is the son of Ron Longbrake of
Mobridge and Carol Lynn Coleman of Scottsbluff, Neb., and is a 1993
graduate of Mobridge High School.He and his wife, Kim, and their daughter, Nicolette,
currently live in Belle Fourche.

Due
to the United States Postal Service increase that begins July 1,
certified letters with return receipts will cost $3.60 each- a 20 cent increase. For
additional information contact Hanna Swarts at university mail
service.

The
minutes from the April meeting were read by Becky Haak.Cheri Leahy moved to accept and Ginny Sunding seconded the
motion.

Jeanne
Hansen gave the treasurer’s report.Myron Sullivan moved to accept and Cheri Leahy seconded.

Committee
Reports:

Ginny
Sunding gave an abbreviated report on a strategic planning meeting
(hard copy is available).

Ginny
Sunding reported she had four welcome bags to deliver.

Cheri
Leahy gave a report on safety and facilities meeting (hard copy is
available).

Old
Business:

Jeanne Hanson and Cheri Leahy will follow up on Lisa Glover’s CSA
logo.

CSA
recognition luncheon was reported as a grand success and
“thank-you’s” had been mailed to Tom Flickema, Brock Finn and
Tim Johnston.Cheri
Leahy will be checking with Anita Haeder to make sure we have enough
watches and clocks to award next year.

New
Business:

The summer picnic committee (Myron Sullivan, Carolyn Skallerud,
Lynnette and Krista Schroeder) will be meeting soon.The picnic is usually the first week in August.

Myron
Sullivan reported SDSEO adopted the resolution from CSA on the N6
pay issue.Our
chapter (chapter 18) was recognized, for the second year, as
“Chapter of the Year”.

Deatta
Chapel made a motion to adjourn and Krista Schroeder seconded the
motion.Our next
meeting will be June 12, 2001, at 9 a.m. in the Market Place.

Below are the program materials received June
7-13 in the grants office, Woodburn 218. For copies of the
information, contact our office at 642-6627 or e-mail requests to us
at grants@bhsu.edu.Fellowship information will also be posted on the Student
Union bulletin board near the information desk.

Department of Education.Community Technology Centers Program Grant; Notice
Inviting Project Applications for One-Year Awards for Fiscal
Year (FY) 2001.The
purpose of the Community Technology Centers program is to
promote the use of technology in education through the
development of model programs that demonstrate the educational
effectiveness of technology in low-income or economically
distressed urban and rural communities.Deadline July 16, 2001.